


In Love with my Best Friend

by elenam



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18466180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenam/pseuds/elenam
Summary: When Tessa Virtue’s boyfriend turns out to be not the man she thought he was, Scott is there, like always, to support his best friend. What they didn’t expect was to discover that their feelings for each other were running deeper than they thought.





	1. She Said Yes

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> So after weeks of silence, I'm back! Seriously, since I've written Mistletoe Promise it was like I couldn't find inspiration. I must have written 5 different beginnings to different stories until I wrote one that stuck to me and that I was able to develop into something more than just an idea. I'm still thinking of a way to continue with the Tessa and Scott from the Mistletoe Promise, but so far I haven't had any luck. 
> 
> Hopefully you'll all enjoy these new versions of our favorite ice dancers!

Tessa woke up, feeling the pale rays of early morning sunshine caressing her naked skin. She turned on her back, the sheets tangling between her legs, and smiled when she felt strong arms pulling her closer and hot lips leave soft kisses on her collarbone.

“Daniel” she giggled, curling her body in her boyfriend’s strong arms.

“Good morning beautiful,” Daniel whispered in her ear before changing their position so he was straddling her.

Tessa laughed, placing her hands on his thighs and looked up at him adoringly.

She had met Daniel a few weeks before while she was at work. She was the owner of Tessa’s Flower Shop, a florist boutique situated in downtown Montreal. When she was younger, she had always dreamed of working in business. As a child, she was the type of kid who set up lemonade stands during the summer. As a teenager, she already loved making budgets for the school council and developing new projects ideas to raise money for the new library or to renovate the gymnasium. So when she got older, pursuing a career in business had seemed like the only logic thing to do. She went to college in Toronto where she got her degree in communication before she moved to work on her MBA at McGill University in Montreal. On the side, she registered herself for a floral arrangement class at a community center, just for fun. She didn’t think more of it at the moment she filled in her inscription.

She had wondered for a long time about what she wanted to do once she obtained her MBA. It was her best friend Kaitlyn who had convinced her that since she loved flowers and business so much, she should open a florist boutique. So she did exactly that; she opened Tessa’s Flower Shop. Every day since the opening, the boutique was attracting more and more clients and Tessa had contracts from all over the city. She had never felt happier.

She had gotten even happier when Daniel had come in one day, wanting to buy a bouquet for his sick grandmother and as she helped him make up a tasteful arrangement, Tessa had fallen for his charming smile and piercing ocean blue eyes. Ever since that day, exactly three months and two weeks before, Daniel and Tessa spent almost all their free time together curled up in bed.

“What about we go out today? It’s such a beautiful day! We could go for a picnic or something?” Tessa suggested feeling that even if she enjoyed hiding in her apartment with her new boyfriend, she also wanted the whole world to know what an amazing guy she had found.

“I wish I could, but I have to work babe,” Daniel said, looking at her and going for a kiss. Tessa turned her head away to escape his lips and pouted.

“But you always work! We never go out to do anything,” she whined.

“Babe, you know that if I could I would spend all my time with you and we would do whatever you want, but I really have to go to work,” Daniel replied, tilting her head so he could kiss her lips.

Tessa let him kiss her but soon pushed him away softly so she could argue some more; “But when we see each other it’s always at your place or at mine. We never go out,”

Daniel smirked; “It’s because the things we do can’t really be done in public,” he teased, going for another kiss.

Tessa sighed in the kiss and forgot all about how annoyed she was with him for never having time to go out. She knew that it was childish. Daniel’s job was taking a lot of his time. He was a surgeon after all. He worked long hours and was often on call, waking up in the middle of the night to perform a complex surgery. She understood that when he came home from work, he didn’t really have the energy to go out and preferred to stay in, eat take out and make out with her in bed. He had a hard job and the fact that he loved it so much was also part of the reason why she liked him. She loved how dedicated he was. Passion had always been important to her too.

“I have to go,” Daniel said, kissing her one more time before lifting himself off her and heading for the bathroom. “You want to share a shower?” he asked mischievously before disappearing in the bathroom with a wink.

Giggling like a high school girl in love, Tessa followed closely behind.

* * *

 

Two hours later, Tessa finally arrived at her boutique, pushing open the front door a little later than usual. As she made her entrance, she felt on her the eyes of Kaitlyn and also Meagan, who was in the back of the boutique and pretended like she wasn’t looking, but really, Tessa knew better. She knew that they were both really curious to know about why she was late, but she also knew that they probably had a pretty good idea as to why, or rather because of who, she was late.

“Tessa! So nice of you to finally join us,” Meagan joked, welcoming her with a smirk from where she sat at her desk, scribbling down the new orders they had to take care of that day.

“So tell me, where you with Daniel again?” Kaitlyn teased and Tessa felt herself blush at her friend’s teasing, mostly because what she was saying was true.

“I hum, maybe,” Tessa answered, heading to the back-store where she could both hide from her friends’ inquisitive stares and retrieve her apron.

“Ok, so when are we going to finally meet the guy?” Kaitlyn asked impatiently as she joined Tessa in the back of the boutique.

“Huh, I don’t know. He works a lot, you know that Kaitlyn,” Tessa answered, busying herself with stuff so she could avoid thinking too much about it. The truth was that she was feeling a little sad that her friends had yet to meet Daniel. Like she had said to him that morning, she understood that he had to work so much, but it didn’t mean that she liked it. She wanted all of her friends and family to know him. She wanted people to know that after five years of celibacy, she had found an amazing guy.

“I know, I just can’t wait to meet the man who made you finally take a chance on love,” Kaitlyn teased.

Five years were a long time to be celibate. She just had never find the right guy. She felt like Daniel could be it though. She really did, and she wanted everyone to know it.

Kaitlyn sat on the counter and looked at Tessa, a pensive look on her face; “You know, we all thought that you preferred to stay alone because you were in love with Scott?”

Tessa was shocked. Scott and her were best friends since they were only kids. When she was seven years old, Tessa’s mother had enrolled her into a skating class just so she wouldn’t be the only kid in her school group who didn’t how to skate for a field trip. It was at the rink that she had met Scott, the nine-year-old son of her skating coach. They had been paired together for ice dancing, a sport they had practiced until their early teen years, when Tessa had chosen to pursue ballet more seriously and Scott went back to his first love; hockey.

Even though their skating partnership came to an end, Scott and Tessa’s friendship never ended. No, it only got better. They were simply the best of friends, had always been. They had never been anything more than platonic friends though. She really wondered why Kaitlyn had thought that she was in love with Scott.

“What? You know that Scott and I are only friends!” Tessa argued fervently.

“I know that now, but when I saw you stay alone for five years I thought, I don’t know, that maybe you loved him and that it was why no one else was ever good enough” Kaitlyn trailed off and Tessa shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, now you have your answer. Scott and I are both in happy, separate, relationships.”

As if he had heard her and wanted to help her prove her point, Scott chose that moment to come barging into the back-store, the biggest smile she had ever seen on him going all the way up to his ears.

“She said yes!!” he cried out before running to Tessa and lifting her up in his arms, turning in circles.

Tessa giggled and kicked her feet in empty air.

“Scott, put me down!” she laughed.

He did as she told and kissed her temple; “She said yes kiddo!”

“She did?” Kaitlyn asked in disbelief and Tessa shot her a weird glance. Scott had told them weeks before about him wanting to propose. He had spent countless hours at the boutique, showing them rings and asking questions about what would his girlfriend prefer. Had Kaitlyn seriously doubted that Laurel would say yes to Scott’s proposal?

“Yes she did! I’m so happy Tess! We have to celebrate tonight?”

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your fiancée?” Kaitlyn asked, eyeing him from where she sat on the counter.

“Trust me, we celebrated this morning,” Scott said, winking and Tessa blushed. They were best friends, but she didn’t want to know everything about Scott’s sex life.

“Tonight I want to celebrate with my best friend!” Scott said and Tessa laughed. Of course he did. Ever since they were seven and nine, they did everything together. Whenever one of them succeeded at something or felt good about a smile win, they had to celebrate together. Just because they now had respective relationships didn’t mean that they needed to stop being friends and celebrate their happiness.

“Anything you want Scott,” Tessa agreed with a smile.

“Alright! It’s Foxy’s then! You can tell me all about your Daniel and I’ll tell you all about my proposal!” Scott said and Tessa laughed. He was always so excited and full of energy. She loved that about him.

“See you tonight!” he yelled, kissing Tessa on the cheek one last time before disappearing, leaving Tessa and Kaitlyn alone in the back-store of her boutique.

“That is exactly why I always thought you loved him,” Kaitlyn said as she got off the counter, her eyes saying “I told you so”.

Tessa rolled her eyes; “For the hundredth time, we are just friends!”


	2. Proposal and Disappointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> So today I offer you chapter 2 which allows us to see Scott's point of view on that day he got engaged.
> 
> I hope you all like it!

Scott woke up extra early that day, too nervous to keep sleeping beyond 4:30 AM. Not able to fall back asleep, he laid in his bed for close to an hour, eyes wide open and heart beating fast as he kept thinking about what he was about to do. It had to go without a glitch. It simply had to. He couldn’t afford any mistake, any faux-pas, if he wanted her to say yes.

She simply had to say yes. 

He had met Laurel a few years before, while he was at work. He was a kindergarten teacher and she was the aunt of Clara, a cute 5 years old in his class that year. One day, Clara’s parents were stuck at work so Laurel had volunteered to pick the little girl up from school. The minute she had entered his classroom, Clara running happily in her arms, Scott had been struck by the woman’s charming smile and her beautiful brown eyes. 

They talked for close to an hour, the little Clara playing behind them, obvious to what was going on between her aunt and her teacher. It took Scott a lot of time and energy to finally convince Laurel to go out with him since she was feeling that it was inappropriate to get involved with her niece’s teacher. Scott had to wait for the school year to be over for her to finally accept to be his girlfriend.

Adding to that, it took Laurel a long time to trust Scott because she kept fearing that he would leave her for Tessa, his best friend since he was a child. It annoyed him so, so much, how Laurel, just like every single one of his past girlfriends, felt insecure because of his relationship with Tessa. He couldn’t understand why people kept saying that he and Tessa loved each other. 

How many arguments did he have over the years under that pretense? How many girlfriends had left him, saying they didn’t want to be second’s best? He didn’t understand why they couldn’t see that Tessa was his friend, nothing more. 

They were friends since they were kids. His mother owned a figure skating school in Ilderton and when they were both only young kids, they had been paired together for ice dancing, the Moir’s family sport. He and Tessa were good, better than he had ever cared to admit, but somehow they also had different interests; hockey and ballet respectively. So they parted ways when they were teenagers, wanting to pursue other dreams. Even though they were two completely different people, they had always stayed friends; the best of friends. 

They went to college separately, he studied in education and Tessa got her MBA, but somehow they both ended living in Montreal once college was done. 

Ever since they had come to live in a city that was so far away from home, they were closer than ever. They had had to rely on only each other at first, all their friends and family being too far away.

They now had new friends and social circles, but they still relied on each other more than on anyone else. Perhaps that was what was so hard to understand for his romantic partner. People didn’t understand that even if they had different interests, they still spent so much time together. 

Tessa owned a florist boutique that attracted more and more people every day. Scott taught young kids at a local kindergarten and had never been happier. Plus, two nights a week, he coached at the local rink where he could revive his passion for skating. Whenever she could, Tessa always found time to go to the rink and help out. 

They were just friends, had always been. 

Okay, maybe not.

If he was being completely honest, he had nourished a crush for his best friend for the better part of high school. When he was 18 and Tessa 16, he almost asked her to prom. He thought it was so romantic. He would have told her all about how he felt, but after over-hearing Tessa talk to her sister Jordan about how she saw him as his big brother, he had known that he needed to get over his crush for Tessa if he wanted to protect their friendship. She obviously didn’t share his feelings. 

He felt like he had done a pretty good job at burying his feelings over the years. Whenever they resurfaced, which they did quite regularly, he did his best to push them back. So he had pushed them back when Tessa graduated college and she had never looked more beautiful with that pride smile gracing her features as she held her diploma. He had pushed them back as he watched her date complete assholes who didn’t treat her like she deserved, like he would have treated her. He had pushed his feelings back when she was looking for a roommate once they moved to Montreal and all he wanted to do was take that role, but he knew it was all too dangerous territory.   
He knew part of him would always love Tessa, but he also knew that he needed to make room for someone else, for someone with whom he could build a life with.

And he had found Laurel and he truly loved her. It was why it frustrated him so much that Laurel had such a hard time believing him. After three years of dating, they were finally in a good place though, and he knew that part of the reason why was Daniel, Tessa’s new boyfriend. Ever since he had told Laurel that Tessa was seeing someone, she seemed more relax, more confident and Scott had seen it as a sign to finally ask her to marry him. It was the only logic thing to do. 

It was also when Tessa finally met Daniel that Scott realized that no matter his ever-resurfacing feelings for her, that they would never be anything more than best friends. It was something he could finally accept. He preferred having Tessa in his life as his friend that losing her altogether to unshared feelings. So it was at that moment that Scott realized that if he wanted a family he needed to let go of Tessa for good. He was in a relationship with Laurel and he loved her a lot. Maybe not in the same way than he loved Tessa, but he knew that if he could picture himself growing old with someone that wasn’t Tessa, it would be Laurel. So he gave himself a little pep talk and bought an engagement ring. 

And he was going to propose when she woke up. He had it all planned; his dog, Max, was even part of the scenario he had imagined. 

So he laid for an hour in bed, going through his plan over and over again in his head before he couldn’t wait anymore. So he got up, took a shower and put on his fanciest clothes; a baby blue shirt, a matching tie and marine dress pants. 

He took out the ring from his drawers, hidden in one of his socks. It was a small diamond, oval shaped; a classic cut. He hoped Laurel would like it; he had had a lot of difficulty finding the right ring. After countless hours spent looking at all sorts of possibilities with Tessa, he had settled on that one after spending three more hours at the store, the clerk finally telling him that it was one of their best sellers. 

As soon as he had come home that day, he had hidden the ring in his drawers and ever since, he was praying that Laurel would like it when he would propose. 

He was closer than ever to finding out. 

When seven o’clock came, everything was set. Scott was dressed, the dog was clean, there was a nice breakfast ready to bring to Laurel in bed with even a red rose that Tessa had chosen for him at her boutique. 

Laurel’s alarm clock was set at 7:15 sharp, so it was the perfect opportunity to surprise her before it rang. 

He took the breakfast tray in his hands, called Max who came by his side, a sign saying “marry me” hanging from his neck. He opened the ring box and set it on the tray before making his way to their bedroom door silently, approaching Laurel’s sleeping form carefully not to wake her before the right moment. He set the ring close to her face by the pillow and kissed her softly. 

She opened her eyes slowly at the contact and blinked a few times until she saw the ring. Her eyes grew round open when she registered what she was seeing and she sat up abruptly, almost knocking over Scott’s breakfast tray. 

“Scott! What, what is this?” she asked and Scott smiled proudly at her, calling Max to join them in the room. The dog, obeisant, came in the room, its tail flapping happily behind him as the “Marry Me?” sign was hanging from his neck.

“Oh my god!” she cried out, shocked. 

Scott smiled even brighter, even if he was going crazy inside. Not knowing if Laurel’s reaction was a good or a bad one was the worst. 

Eventually, after was seemed like an eternity, Laurel smiled at him and nodded her head slowly; “Yeah, I’ll, I’ll marry you,” she said with a point of uncertainity. 

Scott looked at her, heart beating wildly; “Are you hesitating?”

“No,” she replied and it didn’t sound that convincing again.

“Laurel,” he said tentatively.

“Yes, yes I’ll marry you Scott,” she said finally, giving him what seemed to be her first real smile and it was what convinced him once and for all. 

“Yes?”

“Yes you silly!” she repeated for the hundredth time. 

“Yes!” he cried out happily, taking her in his arms and showering her with kisses. 

Laurel had said yes! They were going to get married! He was going to be an husband and one day he was going to have the family he had always dreamed about!

He couldn’t wait to tell Tessa! First he would surprise her at the boutique and later at night, he was going to take her out and celebrate. It wasn’t every day that he was getting engaged. He knew Laurel, she would probably want to see her friends for dinner to share the news, so she wouldn’t miss him. 

“So, are we really engaged?” he asked Laurel as he hovered over her, smiling at her lovingly. Laurel chuckled; “I guess we are,” she said, looking admiringly at the ring gracing her fourth left finger. 

They spent the morning celebrating like only two fiancés can, at least until Laurel was finally an hour late for work. Scott had taken the day off from school, knowing he would love to use the time to call his family and visit his friends to share the good news.

As soon as he kissed Laurel good bye and her car disappeared down the street, Scott jumped in his shoes and took his car to make the well-known drive to Tessa’s flowers shop. 

He pushed the door of the boutique opened cheerfully, saying hi to Tessa’s friend and colleague Meagan as he passed by her desk. 

Not seeing Tessa in the boutique, he knew he would find her in the back-store so he made his way there with a big smile plastered on his face.

“She said yes!!” he cried out before running to Tessa and lifting her up in his arms, making her spin in circles. 

Tessa giggled and smiled even brighter. He had spent the last week talking to her almost 24/7 and worrying about whether or not Laurel was going to say yes. He knew she was as happy for him than he was for himself. 

“Scott, put me down!” her heard her laugh.

He did as she told and kissed her temple, smacking it loudly; “She said yes kiddo!”

“She did?” Kaitlyn, Tessa’s friend and colleague, asked in disbelief and he shot her a weird glance. 

“Yes she did! I’m so happy Tess! We have to celebrate tonight?” he asked, feeling like he really needed to take the night to celebrate the good news with his best friend. It was a new milestone for him and there was no one else he would rather share this with than his best friend. 

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your fiancée?” Kaitlyn asked from where she sat on the counter and Scott looked at her, a smug look on his face.

“Trust me, we celebrated this morning,” he answered, winking. Kaitlyn only rolled her eyes in response. 

“Tonight I want to celebrate with my best friend!” 

“Anything you want Scott,” Tessa agreed with a smile.

“Alright! It’s Foxy’s then! You can tell me all about your Daniel and I’ll tell you all about my proposal!” Scott said enthusiastically and Tessa laughed. 

Pleased with her answer, Scott knew he had to let Tessa work after that, having disturbed her enough during the week with all his insecurities. 

“See you tonight!” he yelled, kissing Tessa on the cheek one last time before disappearing, leaving Tessa so she could work in peace. 

After Scott left, he walked to the café right across Tessa’s boutique. It was one of his favorite places. They served the best latte he had ever drank and made the best croissants he ever ate. He smiled when he pushed the door of the café, aromas of freshly brewed coffee filling his nostrils. His stomach grumbled at the sight of the pastries on display and he was reminded that he hadn’t eaten that morning, the nerves of his proposal preventing him from feeling hunger and later on the celebrations with Laurel taking all of their time…

Scott was distracted as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen, seeing another response from one of his family members. He frowned as he saw the message flashing on his screen. It was from his cousin Cara; “I can’t believe Laurel said yes! Congrats!” 

It seemed like every single one of his family members, from his very own mother to his numerous cousins, all were surprised that his girlfriend had said yes to his proposal. Was is that hard to believe? 

Shaking his head, Scott put his phone back in his pocket. He felt happy and that was all that mattered. He couldn’t care less about other people’s opinion on his engagement. 

“Yes honey, I’m so sorry, I won’t be able to make it tonight. I have to work. Yeah, tell the girls I wish I could be to their dance show and kiss them good night for me will ya?” he heard the man in front of him say to who he guessed was his wife on the phone.

Scott smiled. He couldn’t wait to be that guy, that guy who had a family with two or three kids, his dog Max and a big house with a white picket fence. He couldn’t wait to be the guy who had dance recitals and soccer matches to attend to on week nights. 

What he heard next made his smile fade though, because as soon as the man hung up, he dialed a new number; “Hey Tessa! How are you sweetie? So, I made myself free tonight and I thought I could join you at your place, maybe even spend the night?”

Scott couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That guy was ditching his daughters’ dance recital for some girl? He was cheating on his wife while his kids would be saddened by their dad’s absence. What an asshole. 

“Oh alright, I understand. We can see each other afterwards though, no?”

There was a beat of silence as he awaited the girl’s answer.

“I can’t wait to see you. Love you,” he said before hanging up. 

“A cappuccino for Daniel?” the barista behind the counter called and the man in front of Scott walked to her and took the coffee cup.

Scott suddenly felt really uncomfortable and all color drained from his face. Daniel and Tessa… Was it just a coincidence that some girl named Tessa, just like his best friend, also happened to date a guy who was named Daniel, just like Tessa’s new boyfriend he had yet to meet? Was it possible that this Daniel was Tessa’s? If yes, was he cheating on her? Or worse, was she the other woman, the girl with whom Daniel seemed to be cheating on his wife? Did Tessa knew about that, that Daniel was apparently married and had daughters he didn’t seem to care too much about? 

It was a hundred percent impossible that she knew. The Tessa that Scott had grown with would never do such a thing. She would never be the other woman, the one to destroy a marriage behind another woman’s back, especially not after the way things had ended between her very own parents.

Scott felt torn. He knew he needed to tell Tessa, but he didn’t know how he should do it. She was head over heels in love with her Daniel. It was the only thing she talked about ever since the two had met. He was, to Scott’s knowledge, her only serious relationship in five years. 

He knew Tessa loved Daniel with all her heart, so he didn’t know how to proceed. He needed to tell her about his infidelity, but he didn’t want to be the one to break her heart. Plus, there was still a slight chance that it was a different Daniel talking to a different Tessa. Maybe he was all wrong and in that case he didn’t want to ruin his best friend’s relationship over some dumb misunderstanding.

Feeling helpless, Scott left the café, not even bothering to order something. He needed to think about what he was going to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, your thoughts are more than welcome!
> 
> Thank you for motivating me to write :)


	3. A Double Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> So sorry for the long hiatus since the last update! Life is busy :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter in which Scott will have to deal with what he learned recently regarding Tessa's boyfriend...
> 
> Enjoy!

Tessa didn’t understand a single thing.

She really had thought that they were going to have fun. Scott had seemed so excited that same morning, when he came into her boutique, asking her to dinner at Foxy so they could celebrate his engagement with a fancy dinner and champagne. What had changed between that moment and the one when they finally sat in front of each other at the restaurant? She couldn’t pinpoint why Scott was suddenly acting the way he was.

He had been avoiding her eyes all night long, he kept fidgeting with the hem of the table cloth and he was shaking his legs so hard that she could feel the table move with the force of the movement.

They were halfway through the main course and Tessa hadn’t gotten more than a few words out of him. She tried to get him to retell her how he proposed to Laurel, but he only mumbled a short sentence; “I woke up before her and used Max to hold a sign saying marry me.”

Tessa knew there was something wrong with Scott. He really wasn’t his usual self. Normal Scott would have talked non-stop, offering her all sorts of details and making her laugh until she couldn’t breathe anymore. She only hoped that there wasn’t something wrong with Laurel. She would feel so bad for him. Laurel really seemed like the perfect match for him.

When she was younger, Tessa used to dream that she and Scott would end up marrying each other and have a family. She dreamed of little girls sporting his smile and her green eyes, gliding across the ice just like they had as kids.

Those dreams were crushed when she was 18 years old though. She still remembered that faithful day vividly. She was a senior in high school and Scott was in college in Montreal where he played hockey while working on his major in education. She was stuck in London, pining for her best friend, while he was away in college where he could meet all sorts of new people, like girls.

He had come home for Easter and they had spent all their time together, just like old times. On Sunday, Tessa had been more convinced than ever that she was in love with him and that she needed to do something about it before he left again. So she had gone to his house to tell him something, anything. She just couldn’t stand anymore the idea of him going back to Montreal without knowing how she felt. She feared she would lose him to another girl; a mature college girl.

Just as she was climbing the stairs leading to his room after his mother let her in, she heard him talk to his brother. Charlie was teasing Scott about how he was in love with Tessa, which made her blush at the idea. Was it really possible that he shared her feelings? She was curious to know the answer, so she stopped in the stairs to hear what her best friend had to say about that. His answer crushed her; “What? Never! You know she’s like my little sister!”

She was too hurt to talk to him after that, so she had run back home where she cried for the rest of the day. Jordan consoled her the best she could.

When Scott called her later on, worried that she had yet to show up, she pretended that she was feeling too sick to spend the day with him. He insisted on coming and to see her anyway, but she was as stubborn as he was and she eventually won. The next day, he left for Montreal without seeing her. By the time his semester ended, she had gotten over her feelings for Scott, burying them away in the far back of her mind forever. She knew it was the right thing to do. She preferred having Scott in her life as her friend than losing him altogether to unshared feelings. Plus, she was only eighteen years old at that time, what did she know about love?

Tessa was really happy that Scott had found someone like Laurel to spend the rest of his life with. If there was anyone whom she thought could make Scott happy, it was Laurel; she liked kids just as much as him and was a small town girl, just like him. He really had seemed happy that morning when he came barging into her boutique, spinning her around in the back-store, his contagious smile showing his happiness. She wondered why he was acting so weird all of a sudden. Did he have a fight with Laurel in the afternoon? She hoped Laurel hadn’t changed her mind about their engagement.

“Scott?” she asked tentatively, feeling like she needed to clarify some things. She needed to know what had happened to put him in that state of mind.

“Hum?” he replied, not looking up at her and instead attacking his steak harshly with his fork.

“Scott, are you okay?” she asked softly, trying to catch his eyes.

He looked down stubbornly at his lap; “Of course,”

“Scott, don’t lie to me. This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life,” she tried once more.

She heard him sigh loudly before he finally looked at her, a guilty look on his face. He looked torn and she almost felt bad for pushing him, but she knew he needed to come clean about whatever was bothering him.

“What is it Scott?” she insisted.

“I hum, I don’t know if I should say anything, really. I don’t even know if it’s true, I just,” he started rambling and Tessa had trouble following the train of his thoughts. What he was saying didn’t make any sense.

“Scott, please,”

“I think Daniel is cheating on you,” he blurted out suddenly and Tessa felt the color drain from her face at his words.

“Wh-what?” she mumbled before shaking her head forcefully. “No! It’s impossible!”

Scott looked at her, a pained look on his face; “Tess, I heard him, I-“

She interrupted him before he could go further; “You’re lying! You’re just saying this because you never like any of my boyfriends!”

It was true, ever since she was a teenager, Scott had never approved of a single one of her boyfriends.

He thought that Jeremy was too much of a nerd because they spent some of their date nights at the library. Tessa insisted that she wanted to study too, but Scott thought it was not an excuse and that she deserved more romantic nights than ones spent in books.

He never liked Mathew neither because he thought he was a douche. Honestly, Tessa thought his passion for football wasn’t worse than Scott’s for hockey, and he really didn’t talk that much about sports and cars, unlike Scott pretended.

He also thought that Vincent was a spoiled brat because he had a lot of money and invited Tessa on a road trip in his Porsche to his parents’ condo in Martha’s Vineyard.

And then there was Stephen, whom Scott thought that he didn’t treat her right because he hadn’t held the door for her that one time they went out on double dates.

He had never liked any of the guys she had been in a relationship with, so she didn’t know that to think. He had not even met Daniel yet, but he already thought he was cheating on her?

“Tessa, I don’t know if it was really him, cause I never even met the guy, but as I was waiting in line at the café near your boutique, I heard a Daniel call his wife and just after, he called a girl named Tessa to ask her out…”

Tessa felt like she couldn’t breathe. Daniel had indeed called her earlier that morning, just a short while after Scott had left her boutique. He wanted to know if he could spend the night at her place. She had turned him down since Scott had asked her minutes before to celebrate his engagement at Foxy, but it still could be a coincidence. She knew Daniel, he would never do that to her…

“No, it’s impossible” she replied, shaking her head stubbornly.

“Tess, I’m so sorry…”

“No! Stop! You don’t know what you’re talking about! You never even met Daniel! You just keep hating every single guy I date! Why is that huh? Why can’t you like my boyfriends? You’re getting married to Laurel and I am ecstatic for you! So don’t ruin my relationship now!” she cried out, standing up.

She didn’t care that they were now the focus point of the restaurant. She didn’t care that she was making a scene. She just couldn’t stand there and listen to Scott’s nonsense about Daniel cheating on her.

“Tess, please, you know it’s true,” Scott continued, standing too and taking her hand in his to stop her from leaving.

Tessa scoffed, pulling away from him; “You know what? I won’t stay here and listen to this nonsense. Just go back home to be with Laurel and leave me alone,” she said before rushing out as she felt the tears fill her eyes.

It just couldn’t be true. It was impossible. She really felt like Daniel liked her. On the other hand, it was true that they never went out. He always had an excuse to stay home; he was too tired from work, or he had missed her too much so he wanted to stay hidden under the covers with her, or he only had an hour so it wasn’t enough time to go out. Plus, he had yet to meet anyone from her friends or family and so did she. Daniel often cancelled on her at the last minute, pretending he needed to stay at work. He was a surgeon, yes, but was it possible that there was something more to it? No matter how much she wished it wasn’t true, was it possible that Daniel really was cheating on his wife with her?

She pushed those thoughts away to the far of her mind. She really liked Daniel and he seemed like such a good man. She couldn’t believe Scott’s accusations.

Tessa then remembered that Daniel had asked her if he could come to her place that night, but she had turned him down because she was supposed to celebrate with Scott. Since that that was out of the picture, she figured she could call Daniel and see if he was up to making her forget about Scott’s hurtful words.

Picking up her phone, she searched through her contacts and selected Daniel’s before calling him. He answered after two rings of the phone; “Hey, hum, I can’t talk to you right now, can I call you back in a few minutes?”

Tessa’s heart rate accelerated at his words. He couldn’t talk to her because he was busy, or because he was with someone and he didn’t want her to know that he was talking to his mistress?

She hugged her coat closer to her to protect herself from the cold of a late April night and she sighed furiously. Her night was completely ruined.

She walked to her car and drove back home, her mind making up all sorts of scenarios; Daniel in bed with his wife, Daniel playing with his kids, his wife finding out and accusing her of running their marriage and so on.

Tessa finally made it home and as soon as she passed the door to her apartment, she kicked off her shoes and headed to her bedroom to change into her favorite pair of pajamas and fuzzy socks.

She sat comfortably on her couch and opened Netflix, putting on the Notebook, just because she felt like crying even more than she had already did.

Five minutes into her movie, her phone rang. She saw Daniel’s name flashing on the screen and debated simply ignoring it to return to Allie and Noah’s story, but eventually she decided that Daniel deserved at least the right to explain himself. Just because Scott had planted doubts in her mind, it didn’t mean that it was the truth.

“Hey Tessa, I’m really sorry that I couldn’t talk to you earlier, I had another call from the hospital at the same time,” Daniel said.

It could be true, but it also could be an excuse; “Yeah, what did they want?”

“Just a question from my resident, I’m on call tonight.”

Tessa had mixed feelings. It could be true that he only was on call and that it was why he couldn’t talk to her earlier. He was a surgeon and he was often on call after all. However, it could also be an excuse he had used to avoid saying he was sitting besides his wife and children too.

Tessa sighed. It was really possible that he was telling the truth and that she was letting Scott’s words play tricks on her mind. She decided that she couldn’t believe Scott’s accusations just like that. She simply needed to see Daniel and then, she would know that it wasn’t true. She knew he loved her and she wasn’t his mistress.

“Is it huh, is it impossible for you to come and join me?”

“Yeah of course, I’d love to. I’ll be there in thirty minutes,”

She changed back into cuter clothes as she waited for Daniel. They had just been dating for a few months and she didn’t want him to see her in an old pair of pajamas yet. She knew she didn’t look her best in her checkered flannel pants and pink fuzzy socks. There was only one guy in the whole world who had ever seen her like that and it was Scott. He was her best friend after all. He didn’t care about how she looked and she didn’t have to dress to impress when she was with him. With Daniel, it was different.

Daniel arrived forty minutes later and nothing seemed amiss when he entered her apartment. He immediately smiled at her and bent down to kiss her, reaching behind his back to offer her a surprise; chocolate. Just like that, she forgot all about her insecurities. It was stupid to doubt him just because of something Scott had said and that she didn’t even know if it was true. She did believe that he heard a Daniel talk to a Tessa on the phone, but to assume that it was her Daniel when he had yet to meet him? And to accuse him of having her as his mistress on what was supposed to be a night to celebrate his very own engagement? That was way too much.

She didn’t think a single minute more about all of that though; Daniel made her forget about her worries in an instant.

The next morning when she woke up, she smiled, satisfied, as she curled herself into Daniel’s loving arms. However, he soon pushed her away and smiled apologetically; “I really need to go Tessa, I have to get to the hospital.”

“Come on, no, stay a little more,” she whined, knowing it was childish to protest like that.

“Tessa, you know I have to work babe,” he said, pecking her on the nose.

“Alright, alright, but can I come to your place tonight?” Tessa asked, testing the waters.

“Hum, no, sorry, tonight I huh, I have to work,” Daniel said.

“You sure do work a lot,” Tessa replied and Daniel simply shrugged; “I’m a doctor,” was all he said as an explanation.

* * *

 

Tessa had a very busy day at work. April was a big month for her because when the spring came, people always bought more flowers. They felt inspired by the sun and the blossoming trees and they wanted to decorate their homes with fresh flowers to reflect that. It was good for business, but it left her with an impressive load of work. Plus, she had an awful lot of commands for upcoming weddings that she wanted to start working on.

She was so deep in her work that she almost didn’t see it. Usually, it was Meagan who took care of that kind of things; she was the one who saved all their commands in the computer. But Meagan was sick that day so Tessa had taken on her role. As she was entering the names and the commands in the computer, her eyes scanned over the various names and she only half registered them. But as she reached for her water bottle, the movement made one of the paper slips fall to the floor. She bent down to pick it up and then, the name of the client seemed to be written in big bold red letters with flashing neon lights; Daniel Adams. Her Daniel Adams. Her first reflex was to think he wanted to surprise her but then, she read the message he had written for the card accompanying the bouquet;

_Nicole,_

_I love you more and more every day._

_Happy ten-year anniversary honey._

_Love, Daniel xxx_

She felt the color drain from her face as she finally held the truth in her hands; Daniel was cheating on her. No, worse; he was cheating on his wife with her. She was the other woman. She was destroying one innocent woman’s marriage. If there was one thing she had promised herself, it was that she would never be the other woman, especially not after the way her parents’ marriage had ended. She still remembered vividly how hurt she had been when she discovered that her father was cheating on her mom. How her mom cried herself to sleep for months. How betrayed she felt. She had promised that she would never commit adultery. She had ended being someone’s mistress anyway, much to her oblivion.

What she didn’t understand though, was that Daniel knew she owned that boutique. He couldn’t have been stupid enough to send a command to her flower shop? Tessa looked at the number on the paper slip. It wasn’t his. He had probably asked his secretary to command a bouquet for him and had forgotten to mention not to use her boutique.

She didn’t know what to do. She was so mad and she wanted to humiliate him, make him feel as bad as she felt. He deserved the worst after the way he had treated her. She needed time to think though. He had said he was working that night. She didn’t even know it that was true anymore. It apparently was his anniversary. He was probably just spending the night with his wife.

After a whole day of returning all her options in her head, Tessa finally made up her mind at dinner. So at 7 o’clock that night, Tessa made her way to the hospital where Daniel worked. She went up to the surgery department and asked the nurse if Dr Adams was working that night. When she confirmed him that he wasn’t, Tessa felt her eyes fill with tears. She knew it was stupid, she already knew that he was cheating on her and that he probably lied to her all the time, but the more she learned about his infidelity and the lies he told, the worst she felt.

Tessa looked at the nurse with pleading eyes; “Can I ask you something?”

“It depends what it is dear,” the nurse replied, smiling at her fondly.

“Is huh, is Dr Adams married?”

She knew she sounded pathetic, but she needed to know for sure. The paper slip was proof enough, but just in case there was a tiny little chance it was a mistake…

“Yes dear,” the nurse replied, sending her an empathic smile.

Tessa bit down on her lip to stop the tears from falling.

“He is at Rosselini’s tonight, the Italian restaurant, for his anniversary” the nurse said with a wink, signaling to Tessa that she was sharing this particular information as a secret.

Tessa thanked her for the information even if she didn’t know what to do with it.

She got back to her car and sat in it silently for a few minutes, pondering her options. Could she… She didn’t want to ruin that poor’s woman marriage, but at the same she knew that if it were her she’d prefer to know the truth instead of being kept in the dark about her husband’s extra-marital activities.

Making up her mind, Tessa turned the key in the ignition and entered the address of Rosselini’s in her GPS. Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in front of the restaurant, heart pounding wildly. She applied a fresh coat of red lipstick with a shaky hand, and with one last fierce look in the mirror to convince herself and give her courage, she walked inside the restaurant.

She spotted Daniel’s table from afar and her heart clenched at the sight. There he was, sitting with his wife, chatting amicably and holding her hand. They looked like a perfectly normal couple celebrating their anniversary, but Tessa knew better. She almost backed out right then, seeing Daniel’s wife face and feeling bad for what she was about to do, but then she remembered her mother. Tessa was 14 when her mother learned about her husband’s cheating. She could still remember that her mother had been mortified to learn that her best friend had known about it for months since she worked with Jim Virtue, but she had never said a word. Her mother had always sworn that she would have preferred to be told about her husband’s mistress from the start. She would have preferred the truth to the humiliation of people knowing behind her back that she was being cheated on.

Tessa didn’t want to humiliate Daniel’s wife either. So she asked the waiter, with some substantial bribe, to pretend that Daniel had received a call at the reception from the hospital. When she saw him excuse himself and take his coat to head out and call the hospital back, Tessa knew she had to act fast.

She headed to Daniel’s wife table and sat in front of her.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“Hum, hi?” the woman replied, almost choking on her red wine at the sight of a stranger seating at her table.

“I hum, you don’t know me, but I just huh, thought there was something you should know.”

“Who are you?” the woman asked.

Tessa fidgeted with the tablecloth. “You must know that I would have never done it if I had known but hum, Daniel and I, we, we’ve been seeing each other…” she trailed off.

She saw the color drain from Daniel’s wife’s face; “What?”

“I swear I didn’t know. He told me he was single and that he had a busy schedule because of work. Turns out it was because he’s been living two lives,” she sighed.

Tessa could see that Daniel’s wife’s eyes were filled with water and she was on the verge of letting the tears spill. She knew that she had said all what she wanted to say. The rest belonged to Daniel and his wife. “I’m so sorry,” she said sending one last apologetic look to Daniel’s wife before leaving the restaurant in a hurry.

As she was heading out, she came face to face with Daniel; “I think you’ll need to have a discussion with your wife,” she said plainly as she passed by, not even stopping to talk to him or hear him out. She was done with him.

Only when she sat back in her car did the reality of what she had just done hit her. She had once again ended a relationship. There was a reason why she had been so upset when she told Scott that he had never liked any of her boyfriends. It was because she knew he had all the reasons in the world not to like then. Somehow, she always ended up with complete jerks. Why couldn’t she find a great guy?

It was late at night and she didn’t feel like going back home alone after what she had just done. Against all her instincts, she decided on going the familiar road to Scott’s apartment. No matter that it was late on a Saturday, she knew he would be there for her. Plus, she needed to apologize after the way she had treated him at dinner.

She knocked at his door and when he opened the door she didn’t even need to say a word before he opened his arms wide. She took refuge in his familiar hold and let the tears fall.  
“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she said through her tears and Scott only held her closer.

“It’s okay kiddo. And I’m sorry for what happened, but that jerk didn’t deserve you,” he said, burying his nose in her hair.

She shivered; “Can I stay here tonight?”

“Always T, you know that,” Scott said before closing the door behind her and leading her inside.

She really had the best friend in the whole world.


End file.
